‘The Oath’
Ike Barinholtz wrote and directed this nightmare vision of living under a repressive conservative president (ahem), with the day’s unceasing onslaught of bad news and angry opinions reflecting pretty closely to 2019 America. In Barinholtz’s film, the issue of a loyalty oath to country and president becomes a reason for Thanksgiving dinner to devolve into a knock-down, drag-out family fight. And then things really get crazy when the Homeland Security goon squad comes to crack down. It’s like a comedic take on The Purge, but it’s plenty dark in its own right. And both Tiffany Haddish (as Barinholtz’s wife) and especially Billy Magnussen (as a scarily empowered federal agent) give excellent performances.